A Brand New Adventure
by BritishLuxray
Summary: A Shinx wakes up in a forest with no idea where they are. With no parents or memories to speak of, they must survive the trials of the deceptively dangerous forest and the prejudiced trainers travelling through the area.
1. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

My head pounded. It was the first thing I noticed as I woke, sounds and sensations coming into focus around me. I felt a breeze pass by, and a low drone filled the air. I felt soft grass beneath my side. I was lying outside, somewhere. Despite my headache, it was almost peaceful. I yawned, then flinched as my bottom lip caught something sharp. What was that? I lifted an arm, and felt along my mouth.

...Fangs? I ran my tongues over them, one on each side, with smaller teeth jutting in between. Forgetting to remove my hand, I spluttered in surprise. It was soft. Fur? Roused from my laziness, I opened my eyes to the world for what felt like the first time. Trees rose high above me, rustling in a multitude of different greens. Sunlight filtered through the low and open canopy, mere meters above me. On some trees, yellow and blue berries swung in the wind, while vines held their own assortment of red and green treats. I tore my gaze from above me and looked down. The grass around me stretched as far as the eye could see, punctuated by trees and shrubs, and was a brilliant, soft green. I finally looked at the spot I had been avoiding. I stared. On the end of my arm was a small, round paw covered in blue fur and clods of dirt.

I studied it, and realised that it was unfamiliar. I searched my memory for answers, coming up blank. In fact, I didn't remember anything at all. No familiarity in the place around me, not my paw, no family, even my own name eluded me. Who was I? What was I? Where was I? Questions buzzed around my mind, and a felt a panic rising in my chest.

I rolled onto my belly to calm myself and attempted to stand. Bracing one front paw, I pushed myself up, then placing and bracing opposite back paw similarly. Unused to bring walked on, my two limbs trembled as I attempted to arrange the remaining two appropriately. Before I knew it, I was standing on all four feet. I took a deep breath, pride over completing the simple task leaving me elated. I didn't know who I was, where I was or why I was here. But hey, I figured out how to stand.

I studied my legs. They were short, and somewhat stumpy, and mostly covered in a soft blue fur. Golden rings encircled my ankles on my front legs. I didn't know what my back legs looked like, I wasn't game to try such a complex maneuver after going to such trouble to simply stand. I felt a subtle familiarity rise as I stared at my golden markings. Did I recognise myself? I eventually discarded these thoughts, deeming them unimportant to the current situation.

Ignoring the still present anxiety, I decided it was time to explore. And that meant walking. Shouldn't be too hard.

Clearing my mind, I tried to allow instinct to take over. My back paw took a step and I was pitching forward, soil rushing towards me, and then I was flat on my face. I rolled and spat out dirt.

"Ack!" I coughed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. And then tried again.

It took multiple attempts and perhaps a few face fulls of soil before I figured out how to walk. Front right, left back, front left, right back. I repeated the instructions to myself as I began to pick my way through the slightly overgrown grass.

Where was I going? The thought gave me pause, but I didn't dare stop walking in case I fell over. Maybe a berry tree? Looking at the different berries as I made my way forward, a memory stirred.

I...I liked the blue berries, I knew that now. Since I wasn't sure the others were even edible, I began to make my way to the nearest tree, a meter or so to my left. As I came closer though, I began to hear a low buzzing sound coming from the tree. Something didn't feel right. This time I did stop, one paw hovering over the ground. The leaves of the berry tree began to rustle. I realised quickly that this particular tree was rustling much more than the others. I had assumed that the leaves moved due to the breeze pushing its way through the slight clearing. I now strongly suspected this was not the case.

Suddenly, something began to emerge from the leaves. It was just over a meter in length, and a bright yellow colour. It hovered below the tree menacingly, the dark red eyes devoid of emotion. I didn't know why, but the name popped into my head immediately.

Beedrill.

With that name I felt a cold fear rise and mix with the panic. I didn't know what to do. Running would be the worst idea, it would start to chase me, if I could figure out how to run anyway. I couldn't back up, I just figured out how to go forward. All that left was hiding and walking away. I didn't really want to turn my back on the Beedrill, but to my desperate eye there were precisely zero hiding spots within a three meter radius.  
Carefully, and slowly, I began to turn to my right, searching for a tree without berries and suspiciously rustling leaves. I took one step at a time, ignoring my pounding heart.

Don't look back, don't look back, a voice in my head said. A gap in the trees appeared twenty meters in front of me. Curiosity pulled at me, and I gave in to the urge to peek a glance.  
The beedrill was looking right at me as I walked away. I froze, and made a dangerous mistake. In my panic, I made eye contact with the beedrill. Its eyes glowed a dangerous shade of red, and it began to fly at me.  
I stumbled forward, trying to pick up speed, to escape. Eventually (although in reality, mere seconds), through sheer terror alone, I started to run. The gap in the trees became my guiding hope, my beacon, and the distance began to shrink. Suddenly a sharp pain on my back leg made me stumble, and a numbness began to spread.

I desperately pushed forward, the pleasant droning now a ringing nightmare at my heels. I tumbled into the bright daylight, to find myself in a dense expanse of thick, tall grass. Black spot began to fill my vision as I turned. The beedrill hovered menacingly at the edge of the forest, before turning and disappearing back into the underbrush.

I continued to stumble forward. I had been stung, I knew, and the poison was kicking in. Experienced fighters would fight off the effects on their own, I knew, but I was weak. The best I could hope to do was survive. Suddenly, the grass in front of me began to rustle. I felt despair fill me as I tumbled to the ground, unable to continue. A high pitched chittering was the last thing I heard before I was swallowed by the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note that any unusual grammar choices in speech are purposeful and used as emphasis. This includes lack of commas and spacing. This applies to future chapters as well, unless I get too much backlash. Feel free to let me know of any other grammar and spelling mistakes in reviews if you wish.**

Once again, I awoke to the sound of wind and the rustle of grass. This time though, a bolt of panic shot through me as memories of the short chase flooded my mind. I sat up suddenly, muscles tensing as my fight or flight response came into play. My limbs tangled like shoelaces, and I ended up rolling through the grass with a face full of dirt for the third time today. I pulled in ragged breaths, my mind finally registering my surroundings. I was surrounded by grass, taller than the grass from before. Much taller. It was a strong dark green, and tapered off to sharp points high above my head. Looking around, I realised I had no idea where I was or where I had come from. Grass blocked my view from every direction. Twittering, chirping and even a strange chittering filled the air, mixing with the quiet whisper of rustling grass.

Come to think of it, that strange chittering sounded awfully close. The grass to my left began to rustle menacingly. I got to my feet, ready to face the new threat. I felt goosebumps cover my body as my fur stood on end. A sharp pain ran up my spine, and I turned to find a tail that I hadn't noticed beforehand swinging menacingly. A large red welt sat nestled in a clump of black fur. I winced at the sight, remembering the sharp jab I had received from the beedrill in my dash to safety.

 _I knew they were territorial, but jeez, that was nothing short of terrifying._ Lost in my thoughts, musing over the large sting, I forgot about the presence of the rustling grass. I was reminded when a sudden movement caught my eye. Startled, I whipped back around to face it, moving automatically into a fighting stance. A strange buzz began to fill the air. But what I faced was not a beedrill. Instead, I was face to face with what I swear to this day was the fluffiest bidoof I had ever seen. His thick brown pelt was almost twice the length of the standard bidoof, forming thick curly ringlets around his face and on his underbelly, similar to flaafy wool. His eyes, little black buttons, stared suspiciously out from gaps in the thick fur and his teeth were all that was left visible.

The buzzing continued to fill the air, and my paranoia grew. I turned, my eyes and ears searching, temporarily forgetting the creature in front of me. I wasn't scared of some bidoof, fluffy or otherwise.

 _What is it? What's the sound? Where is it coming from?_ It filled my ears, and came from every direction. I wasn't until I took a step and a quite _zap_ filled the air that I realised the reality.

 _I was the one buzzing._ I didn't know whether to laugh or stare. Electricity danced in small waves along my fur on my legs, emitting from the golden rings encircling them. I now knew why my body looked familiar, and the name came to my mind.

"Shinx," I said aloud. I was a Shinx. How could I forget that? My attention turned back to the bidoof, who had taken a seat in front of me. He sat like child playing in the mud, back legs splayed and front legs positioned in between. Funnily enough, exactly like his evolution was often pictured. His (I was assuming here) black eyes stared unblinkingly at me, and I began to feel uneasy at the near silent encounter.

Then, he spoke. "Friend?" he said. He spoke in a series of short chitters, but I understood the meaning anyway. Taken aback at the short and abrupt statement, I answered in kind.

"Friend." I confirmed. Surprisingly, unlike the name which I had spoken aloud mere moments ago, this word came out in a short purr. "Friend," I said again. "Shinx. Friend. Shinx." I alternated between the two amused by difference in pronunciation.

"Bidoof," said the bidoof. He stared at me. "Bidoof, Shinx, friend?" There was a unmistakable question at the end of the statement. He shifted while waiting for an answer, and I realised he was nervous.

 _He was_ scared _of me_ I realised. He wanted to make sure I wasn't going to attack him. Realising that my light show might still be going, I couldn't really blame him.

"Definitely friends." I told him. "Were you the one who dragged me into this tall grass, and saved me from that beedrill?" I asked. I hadn't made it to the grass, collapsing just on its edge, I knew. The biddof stared at me like I had two heads.

"Save?" he mused. He had a lightbulb moment. "Yes!" he said. "Save friend! Weak pokemon safe from bad pokemon in grass!" he assured me.

"Safe from bad pokemon?" I muttered. I followed his gaze into a patch of grass where I assumed the forest lay beyond. I turned back to him. "So its safe here?" I asked.

"Grass safe from bad pokemon," he repeated. "No die. Forest safe from humans. Forest, forest good." He stared back in the same direction forlornly. "Forest safe…" he repeated distantly. He turned to me. "Want to live in forest one day. Not strong enough yet." He nodded to himself. "ot strong enough, not strong enough." He stared me in the eye sadly. "…Never strong enough."

"Wait, hold up a moment," I argued. "Is the forest safe or not? If the forest is full of bad pokemon where you can die, why do you want to go so bad?" I frowned at the thought of fighting off countless beedrill.

"I mean there's berries and stuff but it can't be that good. And what do you mean by 'safe from humans?' Do you mean trainers? They can't be that bad." I threw questions at him, my curiosity piqued. He took his time, appearing to struggle with my questions. _Do I speak with an accent?_ I wondered.

"Trainers…" he mumbled. He started shaking his head. "Trainers bad, very bad. Trainers battle. Battlebattlebattle everything. All the time. No berries, no healing. Hurts. Very bad." He continued to shake his head vigorously.

"Battle…everything?" I repeated. "But battling makes you strong, right? You can get strong enough to get into the forest!"

"Nononono," the bidoof muttered. "Pokemon, the pokemon strong. Sometimes weak, but mostly stronger. Don't get stronger unless win. Can't win, can never win." The bidoof looked defeated, his eyes never leaving my face as he relayed his final sentence.

Silence fell, the air heavy with the fate of the pokemon doomed to wander the tall grass. Eventually, the mystery bidoof began to speak again.

"Sometimes…Sometimes pokemon escape. Caught by trainer," he began. "Sometimes they come back, come back strong. Often, no come back." He shrugged.

I struggled to come up with an encouraging comment. "You could be caught…and…and…have a nice home with a kid or something?" I suggested. I had almost fallen into the pattern of the stop start style statement answers that the bidoof used. The corners of what I assumed were his mouth twitched upwards and his eyes shone. He looked happy, and I felt a feeling of satisfaction grow in my chest.

"A home…" he muttered. He started to nod. "I'd like a home…"

"Well, maybe we can get you one." I offered. "You did help me after all, so I could try and help you, if you wanted. We just have to find the right human. No big shot or overly enthusiastic fighters, that's just what we have to avoid." I took a step forward. I didn't even know this pokemon, but I was already trying to help him. This was going to be a long and difficult journey ahead of me. But, if he accepted, I could have a guide and buddy to help me and keep me safe in the long grass. Considering I couldn't tell which way was up half the time, I considered a guide an invaluable resource.

The bidoof sat there, head down for a solid minute as he contemplated my offer. Finally, he raised his head. His fluffy fur rustled majestically in the breeze and determination shone in his eyes.

"Please help me find home." He said.

"Alright." I smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

The bidoof stood up and turned.

"Come," he said. "I show safe place." I paused only for a moment before I followed him through the long grass. How he could tell where to go eluded me, but I followed him never the less.

After walking for a couple of minutes, we came upon a patch of grass where the grass had been bent and twisted into a hole of some kind. Gnawed branches held up the makeshift structure, and twigs decorated the ground. I took a moment to admire the work that had gone into making this place. I was still having trouble walking straight, but this bidoof had made all this. I knew I shouldn't really be impressed; he was a pokemon, making a home is a natural part of life! He probably used his instincts, and it really wasn't that big, only half a meter or so high. Yet I felt a rush of jealousy.

"Home!" The bidoof chittered. He turned and sat in that weird way of his by the front entrance. Curious, I stepped forward, and poked my head inside. It wasn't very deep, but I noticed a patch of grass by the back that seemed disturbed, almost different from the rest. A gentle scent wafted towards me, and I sniffed in curiosity. It smelled… sweet. A bit like the forest I had escaped. Was it… berries? I almost took a step in to investigate, my stomach grumbling, when a sound behind me brought me to my senses. This was his home; I couldn't just take his berries. And after describing what pokemon in the tall grass had to go through… these berries must've been hard won.

Taking a moment to compose myself, I stepped out of the small grass structure. I was getting better at moving around, I noticed, my chest puffing with pride.

I turned to the bidoof, who I had decided to nickname Curly.

"This is… really nice. Did you make this?" I asked him. Curly nodded.

"Bidoof make. Long time to make home. This one new. Even better than last one." Similar to my reaction at my newfound motor skills, he puffed his chest out with pride. I almost lost sight of his face with all the fur.

"New?" I asked. "What happened to the last one?"

Curly took a moment to respond, gathering his words.

"Last one… Attacked. Destroyed. Pokemon looking for food." He explained.

"Destroyed!?" I exclaimed. "Do you know who did it?"

Curly shook his head, then did something that could be interpreted as a shrug. "Hungry pokemon. Maybe starly. Maybe budew. Maybe even bidoof. Not matter."

I see. Competition was fierce then. It made sense if pokemon were too scared or weak to go foraging in the forest for berries. One can't live on grass and sunlight after all. Bidoof were probably fine for the most part, wood made up a decent part of their diet, and that was easily obtainable on the edges of the forest or even in small saplings. The other pokemon he mentioned; most of them were vegetarian, they'd need the occasional berry to supplement their diet. Except maybe starly, it ate pretty much whatever.

Speaking of the pokemon in the area…

"Where AM I?" I wondered aloud. I hadn't even thought about it. A forest was a forest after all. But where I was was actually pretty important; it decided the level of the pokemon in the grass with me, as well as the likelihood of running into something that ate meat instead of plants. Curly attempted to provide an answer.

"Home." He told me.

"I know that." I replied. "But where IS home?"

Curly looked confused. "Home."

I shook my head in exasperation. I had to be patient. I was wasn't particularly hot-headed, but apparently that didn't mean patience was one of my strong suits.

"What route are we on? Where did we come from to get to home?" I asked again. Curly's face scrunched up in thought. "Tall grass." He answered.

Still no useful answer. But he did say that trainers came by, which meant we were on an established route. And judging by Curly here, and the mentions of starly, we were likely in a route in the south-west of Sinnoh. If we were in Sinnoh. What if I'm not in Sinnoh?! How do I even know about routes and Sinnoh?!

While I began to have a minor mental breakdown, attempting to recall and order memories and understand the situation, Curly stared blankly. Lifting his back leg, he began to scratch behind his ear, before freezing. Pulling himself to his feet, he scampered to his makeshift home. He let out a loud chitter that snatched me out of my panic attack.

What was he panicking over? Twitching my oversized ears, I didn't know how I missed it. Sometimes was making its way through the tall grass, and it wasn't being particularly quiet about it.

Realising I couldn't fit in the hole with the Bidoof, I made do with simply hiding behind it, scanning the area where the sound could be heard. Watching, I saw a flash of colour as the being passed. It was… a human. A trainer, maybe? He looked to be a boy of about twelve, weaing a backward cap and a yellow striped shirt. He wore shorts and had a small backpack strapped to his back.

"Better not mess with me, wild pokemon!" He yelled. "Cause I got a Kricketot that'll mess you up!"

Eventually the trainer passed.

"What an obnoxious child." I muttered. I kinda felt bad for the supposed Kricketot.

"Very loud." Curly agreed. I hrrmphed.

"Not only loud, the way he went on about beating up any pokemon he saw, it was just rude!" I complained, my own voice becoming more like a series of snarls instead of purrs. Noticing how Curly looked at me a little funny, I added hastily "Though I suppose it's certainly a good deterrent against any pokemon looking for a fight. Repel might've worked better though."

Curly was still looking at me strange. Several moments passed as I waited for him to explain what upset. Him. After minutes passed of him and I simply staring at each other, I gave in.

"So what is it?" I asked. "Why are you looking at me so strangely?" The fluffy bidoof took a moment to answer.

"Different," he told me.

"Different?" I repeated stupidly. "What is?"

"You," he said. "You different."

"Different how?"

"Talk funny."

"What do you mean, 'I talk funny'?"

"Don't understand what you say between. And you understand."

I was beginning to grow annoyed. Curly was either avoiding the topic or he was really at a loss. Not to mention, he was growing more and more unintelligible as he spoke.

"Understand what?" I asked tiredly.

"The trainer," he said. That surprised me. Plus, it sounded…normal. He used the word 'the'. I was so proud.

"Yeah, I understood the trainer. So what?"

He seemed to struggle.

"Again, you, talk funny. Don't understand… between words."

Looking at Curly, it began to dawn on me. He didn't understand what the trainer was saying. He spoke in stops and starts because that's all he understood. Any words besides nouns and basic descriptions were beyond him. Were the rest of the pokemon like him? I hope not. But, he said I was 'weird' and 'different'. I suppose I would learn in time.

"Sorry?" I offered. I shrugged, and decided to try and dumb down my words a bit. Without sounding condescending; if that was possible.

"I don't know why I'm different," I told him. "No memory." Curly took a moment to think it over, but I think he understood.

"No memory?..." he repeated. I nodded. "No memory." I said again.

"Okay," he said. I didn't have a reply. Silence fell as I waited for him to continue. Eventually the awkward silence was broken by the grumbling of my stomach.

"Sorry," I said again. Curly shifted.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied, vaguely embarrassed.

He stood on his hind legs, looking around him in a circle. Once on all fours again, he scampered closer, until he was very close to my face.

"I have berry," he chittered quietly.

"Y-you'd share with me?" I asked, shocked. Berries were probably a big deal to weak pokemon like him if his house was raided all the time. Curly nodded gravely, and walked back into his little den. I heard some scratching and eventually Curly turned back around, and gestured forward. Padding forward, I looked into his den. He'd scratched away the grass to reveal a shallow hole. In it sat about eight berries. The names of the berries, previously unknown, jumped to the forefront of my mind. There were four oran berries, two pecha berries, a cheri berry and a rawst berry. The oran berries immediately drew my gaze and my mouth watered. I grabbed a berry with my mouth and bit down. The berry was juicy, slightly bitter with a pronounced sweet and tangy taste. The berry was also more filling than I anticipated, which eased my guilt. But still… I glanced round at Curly.

"One more?" I asked. He nodded. Pleased, I nearly took another oran berry when I remembered the beedrill attack. I had recovered from the sting by the time I had woken up, but better safe than sorry. Looking at the different berries in front of me, something in the back of my mind rang faintly about pecha berries being good for poison. I took a berry, and ate that too. This one was very sour and bitter, being only vaguely sweet towards the end. Satisfied, I stepped back out of the den.

"Thank you," I said. "I don't know how I'd get by without you."

The bidoof simply nodded, and looked confused. He also seemed… relieved? Had he been nervous? Watching him dart inside to cover up his stash, I pondered the mystery of his behaviour. Why did he share his berries? Why did he look relieved afterwards? Looking down I studied the rings around my ankles, and the blue fur around my paws. Lifting one, I examined it, and noticed something I should have noticed earlier. I had claws. They were short, but nonetheless, I had claws. I could probably extend them too, if I ever figured it out. Fangs, fur, a tail and now claws. Still none of it felt familiar.

 _But.. if I had claws and fangs… what DID Shinx normally eat anyway?_

The thought hit me like train. I was… a predator. I didn't even stop to consider what I ate, but I certainly knew it wasn't grass or sunlight. Like any other pokemon I could eat berries and food made my humans, but in the wild… Shinx ate other pokemon.

I looked at Curly with new eyes. It explained the majority of his other behaviour. The nervousness, the agreement to share his berries, even why it took him so long to point out my strange way of talking. But with the mystery answered, it still left one question to be answered.

"Hey, Curly, uh, I mean, Bidoof," I spoke to him indirectly as he exited his home. "Why did you save me?"

I was greeted with silence.

"I was, I am dangerous. I could have hurt you. I could've been your enemy. But instead you're helping me. Why?"

Curly spoke. "Saw Shinx running. Chased. Bad pokemon." He paused. "Shinx…crying. Hurt. Beedrill sting hurts. Bidoof knows. Felt bad."

A good Samaritan, huh? Those are pretty rare. I felt touched, and felt tears prick at the corner of my eyes.

Curly continued. "And maybe Shinx friend? If I help?"

So, he felt lonely, I guess.

"Shinx strong."

Oh, a bodyguard. Moment over. Still, he was an honest pokemon if I ever saw one. Plus he had been nothing but kind; in fact he might have even saved my life. I thought back to my promise to help him find a home, and decided that staying here would probably be a good idea. Besides being friends, Curly obviously knew how to get food, and how the area worked. Since I could understand humans, I could help him find a home, and protect him from thieves. Once I learnt how to fight, that is. Maybe I could even become strong enough to survive in the forest?

"Not very strong. But, I could help you. I can find you a home, and I can watch home while you go find food? Or protect you even. So, would you mind if I make this my home for a bit? I don't know how to find food, and I don't know much about the tall grass. If you help me, I can help you! We could even train with each other to get stronger, if you wanted."

I waited for Curly's response. He had sat upright again, his head cocked to the side in his 'thinking' position. Finding Curly a home shouldn't be too hard, I mused. The guy was fluffy as all hell, and gentle too. Assume we're on a lesser route, there won't be as many tough trainers, though there'll be less casual travellers.

"Bidoof maybe understand. Bidoof and Shinx friend? Shinx protect and help? Bidoof guide and share?"

Right. Limited understanding, I forgot about that. But at least he got the message anyway. Looks like I got a home and a guide. All I gotta do learn how to survive, to fight, protect this guy and this place and then find him a home. Should be fine, I guess.

"Right. Shinx and Bidoof friend. Bidoof guide and share. Shinx protect and help." I repeat what he said, along with a nod in an effort to get the message across completely.

Curly cheered up immediately. "SHINX FRIEND!" he cheered. Scampering up, he sat next to me, his soft coast rubbing against my side. I let out a wry smile. I'd found a guide, and even better, a friend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you everyone who even got this far, I understand that my story can be a bit poorly edited sometimes, being a bit of a side project and my first story. I do put some time and effort into researching zones, pokemon and level moves for this story, so thanks so much for taking the time to have a read.**

For the next few days, I allowed myself to settle in. While there were trainers going through the area, most followed the shortest route through the grass, so they were easy to avoid. Curly went off, coming back with sticks and logs for support for my new little home. Using my claws, I was able to cut the tallest grass I could find to make the roof. I wasn't able to weave the grass into anything what I considered usable, until Curly showed me how to stuff the grass between the layers of wood, the density holding it together. Apparently the next order of business was to collect some mud to make little structure more water proof during rainy days. The simple lean-to was apparently a lot more complex than I'd first assumed. Gathering the mud was apparently a great learning experience, my fluffy friend had decided. I was a little suspicious that I'd be expected to carry it by myself so he wouldn't get muddy, but I agreed to go anyway.

And so, following him through the small forest of grass, I eventually found myself standing at the corner of a large pond. It was probably just twenty or thirty meters across, I was sure, but to my small size it seemed like it stretched forever. My attention was caught by Curly tugging at a bush sitting next to the pond. I say bush, but the leaves were huge; round and smooth they had a dip in the middle. Some leaves had water sitting in that dip, collected from either the morning dew or the last rains that had passed through the area.

Curly succeeded in tugging a leaf off the bush, before dumping it in the pond and dragging it alongside him as he walked. After a moment, I noticed a white milky sap begin to drift into the water surrounding the leaf. Eventually we came upon an area that was distinctly marshy and had an earthy smell. The waterline which we had followed had been vaguely muddy and filled with little plants; here the water was a clear and shining blue, and I could see all the way to the bottom. I was so busy staring into the shimmering depths of the pond, I didn't notice the new sounds at first.

A combination of squeaks, trills and coos filled the air as we rounded the final corner. Sitting at this corner was a small group of sprout-like pokemon, which I recognised as budew. There were between six to eight pokemon standing in a cluster, all slowly swaying hypnotically. I noticed Curly in front of me had begun to move very carefully, staying quiet and moving close to the ground. I copied him, stealing glances at the group of harmless-looking pokemon.

Eventually making it past the group, we stopped at the water's edge. Curly pushed the frond to the very bottom, and began filling it with mud. Once it was full, he grabbed both edges and lifted it out of the water. It immediately began to spill, and I grabbed one end of leaf with my mouth.

 _Yuck,_ I thought. It felt like rubber. Curly let go and we began to walk back to the structure, each of us holding one end. Without me along, I realised, he would be able to carry maybe half this amount. Again, we made our way past the group of budew, only this time, we were too much of a spectacle to make it past unobserved. The pokemom, once closed and swaying in the long grass, turned towards us and began to lightly approach us, leaves opening to reveal tightly closed red and blue petals. I felt Curly tug on the leaf as a signal to move faster, and I obliged.

The pokemon hadn't done anything aggressive so far, but the way they followed and approached still felt, well, disconcerting.

We managed to make our way to the next curve of the pond, away from the budew, when the peace and silence was broken. A sharp trill filled the air and an explosion of yellow powder landed next to me. I held my breath and tried to move forwards, only to be pulled to a halt by Curly's collapse.

"Hey, are you okay? Hey!" Dropping the leaf, I nudged Curly, urging him to stand. Behind us, one particular budew stepped forward. The leader. His leaves were open completely, with red and blue petals half unfurled, and he stood taller than the rest. He was menacing, and clearly was looking for a fight. Curly began to twitch, then stood, though he swayed for a moment.

"What happened? Are you okay? Why'd you stop?" I pestered him with questions as panic began to mount.

"Stun spore," Curly answered, his nose twitching in concern. "Sometimes can't move."

"Sometimes? So you'll just stop again? Will I just freeze too?"

The fluffy pokemon froze for a second, and I though the paralysis had kicked in again. But no, he was just thinking about my questions. Right. Dumb words. Keep forgetting.

"Will freeze sometimes until I eat berry." He looked me in the eye. "Shinx immune to Stun Spore."

Immune? I was immune?

"Why?" I asked.

Bidoof shrugged. "Electric type."

Electric types couldn't be paralysed. I filed that away for future use.

I saw the leaf on the ground, with the slowly drying mud. It would take some time to get to the shelter if we had to fight. Espcially since Curly couldn't run long enough to escape. I made a decision, turning to my friend.

"Take the leaf home. Start on the mud." I told him.

"You fight?" he asked.

"Yeah. I can take 'em." I replied. Curly looked at me uncertainly for a couple moments, then nodded. The mud had begun to dry, and wasn't likely to slip off anymore, so he was abe to carry both ends himself. Turning to give me one last look, he disappeared towards home though the long grass with little more than a rustle.

I readied myself and turned back to the problem at hand. How was I going to handle this? I'd never fought in my life. At least, I don't think I had.

 _Maybe,_ I thought, _maybe I can avoid a fight altogether._ Running wasn't going to work. So maybe I could scare the budew off.

Taking a step forward, I planted my foot into the soft dirt as hard as I could, and oulled up that strange and subtle energy I had felt before when I had first met Curly. It came, and bright blue and yellow electricity danced along my fur. Finally, I opened my mouth and roared as loud as I could. I didn't say anything, just made the loudest, angriest and most terrifying sound I could.

I must have been a sight to behold because the budew took one look at me and stumbled back a few steps, shaking. But they didn't run away. They were still ready to fight, just unsure of their actions.

Were they going to make the first move? I tensed, ready to act, until the grass pokemon suddenly darted to my left. I turned, ready for a physical attack, electricity at the ready. Instead, it had stopped and a strange tug began to pull at my chest. The tug became stronger, and then materialised as balls of light, drifting toward the budew. I immediately felt tired and sore; all of my energy and panic had disappeared, and I wanted to have a nap. I shook it off and stood tall, deciding my next move. The budew was smaller than me, and used distance attacks. I dashed forwards, aiming for the small creature. It tried to dodge, but my target was set. My blood pumped and I felt the world narrow and revolve around the fight. I closed in on the budew and hit it with a full body tackle. Using the rebound, I jumped back to my feet, as the budew rolled itself upright, its petals crumpled and bent. Planting its feet, it closed its eyes and began to hum. The leaves above its head began to straighten and grow longer than before. Opening its eyes, it pointed those leaves at me, and I again felt the strange tug. There was nothing I could do to stop it, so instead I attacked, darting forward into another tackle. Again we tumbled, but the strange grip didn't dissipate. Finally I did the only thing left I could think of. I bit him. Hard. Unlike the tackle or when I had gathered the electricity, I felt desperate and confused. It worked however, and the attack that the budew had used on me vanished. I let go, jumping back. The budew looked shaken and attempted to puff out its chest as a show of courage. Taking advantage of the pokemon's fear, I smiled, baring my teeth. The false show vanished and I dashed forwards in one last attack. As I hit the sprout for the final time, I felt it sigh, just a little. As I sprung back, it remained still on the ground. Its eyes were closed, though its foot twitched, just a little.

I had won. I straightened myself and puffed my chest with pride and glared at the remaining pokemon staring in shock at their now-unconscious leader. Then, turning on my heel, I marched into the long grass to find home.


	5. Chapter 5

_First off, thanks for anyone actually following or reading this story, though I think I've said that before. For some reason, I'm having trouble writing the story so it flows, but I'm doing my best. Another short chapter here._

It took me nearly twenty minutes to find home after confidently strolling into the long grass. Tired and sore, I wandered aimlessly, listening for Curly's familiar chitters with my huge ears. Unfortunately, most Bidoofs sounded the same, so I scared more than a couple pokemon by stumbling upon their home. Eventually I found the right place, finding Curly nearly finished applying the mud to my new home and attaching sticks as he went. Luckily he had stashed away just the right berry for the occasion and had been able to get to work before the mud became unusable. We finished by lying some final stalks of grass over the top, and my home was ready. With night approaching, I decided to go to sleep early, and, after a quick good night, I crawled into my new home and went to sleep.

The days after that became a routine. Curly showed me where to find berries and the like, and we made trips collecting food, at first together, and then separately. As I didn't really feel confident at personally hunting down a starly and eating it raw, I stuck to scavenging berries. I was fairly certain that Curly also appreciated the effort, being a prey pokemon himself. We maintained our home and I even started an attempt to grow my own berries; though the one plant that did manage to grow quickly garnered attention to our home and was destroyed by foraging pokemon.

Eventually, having settled down into a routine, I realised that I had learnt all that I needed to about the area. I knew how to navigate the tall grass using sound and smell, where the berries were best, which pokemon were okay with you being around their territory, and even how to defend myself.

It was time, I decided, to start looking for candidates for Curly's new home.

I approached Curly about a month after he first took me in with my idea.

"Humans come through here all the time," I began. "But that doesn't mean all of them are going to want to fight you the moment they see you. Not all of them are trainers either. If we want to find the right ones, we're going to have to get a good look. If we look long enough, we'll definitely find somebody to take you in."

"Really?" Curly's eyes shone with both hope and fear. He fidgeted, sitting back in that slouchy way of his.

"How you know? How you know which good, which bad?" he questioned.

"I can understand humans, remember? I'll just listen to what they say."

He still looked doubtful, but nodded anyway.

"We'll figure out how to get them to take you when we find one." I told him. "Being cute might work on a little girl, but probably not on a guy. So, we'll improvise. We'll start as soon as someone comes through, okay?"

Another silent nod. That was it. Mission: 'Find Curly a Forever home' was a go.

Our first human came through that afternoon. My newly sensitive ears picked up the vibrations immediately. Instead of hiding, however, I crept forward, with Curly following a couple metres behind. After a couple minutes, I was able to see the human. They looked fairly young, and wore an oversized hat and held a rather large net. He hummed as he walked, and several pokeballs hung from his belt.

"Here, buggy, buggy, buggy. What will I find today? Maybe a kakuna? Maybe a kricketot? Who knows!" He passed by slowly, eyes scanning left and right. I saw his eyes land upon me, and his hand went to his belt. I turned and fled before he could start a battle.

Curly nearly vibrated with the question. I shook my head.

"Bug-type. Trainer." I whispered. We retreating a few metres away from the common path people took through the tall grass. No point being run down if our concentration happens to lapse. We settled down to wait.

Another hour passed and we heard two sets of footsteps. I creeped forward and waited. Two teenagers this time, twins. Both had a single pokeball hanging from their waist. I felt my hopes rise. I listened intently to their conversation.

"Do you think anything scary will pop out of the grass at us?" the girl wondered aloud. The boy laughed in response. "They better not! It's more their bad luck than ours." He grinned almost menacingly. "Our pokemon will take quick care of it real quick. And we spent so long cooped up at that last town, I bet they're just itching for a battle. I wouldn't mind one myself!"

"Sometimes I almost feel bad for the pokemon we encounter," the girl mused.

"It's their fault for attacking us," the boy shrugged.

"I suppose so," she sighed.

The girl was a candidate but the presence of her brother made me sign for retreat straight away. Not only was he aggressive, the way he spoke made me feel he and his pokemon were likely above our level.

We decided to retreat for the meantime, watching warily. Our suspicions were rconfirmed when an unfortunate Starly wandered in front of the pair. Noticing the two, it let out a loud squawk, and turned to face them, feathers rustling. It looked fierce, and intimidating, ready for a battle. Or so you'd think, if you hadn't lived with the pokemon around here. I couldn't be entirely sure whether those feathers ruffled in challenge or fear.

Within moments, the two teenagers tuned back to back, pulling out their pokeballs with a ridiculous flourish.

"Vulpix, Go!"

"Growlithe, Go!"

Two pokemon I'd never seen before appeared in a subdued flash of white light. Two four legged pokemon, one orange, one red, stood before the stunned Starly. The orange pokemon stepped forward, growling quietly, its small mane flowing in the forest breeze. It stood tall and proud, a determined glint in its eye. The female trainer's pokemon, however, instead sat down, curling a series of plush tails around its feet in a somewhat feminine fashion. It watched the scene unfolding with unnerving serenity, waiting for instructions.

"Growlithe," instructed the boy. "Flamethrower!"

"Vulpix, Willo'Wisp!" seconded the girl. Both pokemon sprang into action like well-oiled machines. Nothing but determination and concentration showed on their faces as they begun their attack. Growlithe opened his mouth and a thick column of fire shot outwards at impressive speed, while Vulpix showered the poor challenger with and attack of floating sparks and flame. Both attacks hit the Starly before it was able to dodge. Smoke erupted at the force of the impact. I watched in horror, and Curly in grim silence as the smoke cleared, revealing he unconscious pokemon.

"I'd say Growlithe and I win that round," boasted one twin.

"Joey, it was a tag battle. You weren't supposed to just straight out K.O the thing. Do you have no understanding of strategy?" countered the other. She sounded frustrated and upset, but for some reason I didn't think she was taking it as seriously as she made out.

"Come on Melissa," consoled the boy, Joey. He ran a hand through his brown hair, attempting to flatten some rogue hair. "There's no point in attempting strategy if the opponent is weak enough to K.O in one go anyway. Stop getting your panties in a knot."

"Shut up," Melissa sulked. Tightening her belt around her pink dress, she placed her pokeball back on its holder around her waist, with the other five. Turning around, she continued walking without her brother. "Come on then, slowpoke!" she called. "Else I'll beat you to the next town!" With a micheveuous grin, she took off, disappearing out of the forest entrance.

"Hey, wait!" her brother yelped, before taking off after her.

The silence they left behind grew until it filled the whole forest. Since coming here I had seen a few incidents like this. They were rare though, with most challengers remaining within a certain range of experience. Still, it reminded me of how weak the pokemon here were, out in the tall grass.

 _Would they have been able to take on that Beedrill?_ I wondered to myself.

"Okay, let's keep going!" I shot Curly an encouraging smile and hoped that we'd find someone soon. Preferably before someone like the twins found us.

Besides the regular humans that hung around the area like bad smells, only two more people came through the area that day; another bugcatcher and a little boy wearing a cap, a single pokeball and a pair of shorts. Of which, I noted, he was fairly proud.

The next day we used for gathering food and supplied, and the next back to human-shopping, or so I'd dubbed it. It was like this until the fourth human-shopping day.

"Curly. Hey, Curly." I shook my friend awake, my blue and yellow paw disappearing into the soft curls. Curly blinked and yawned, his only verbal response a grunt.

"I think we've got a possible," I whispered.

A mother and her daughter made their way past the tall grass, avoiding stepping through as much as possible. The woman was tall, with short blonde hair and a sunhat. A white shirt and tan pants with a turquoise necklace finished the look. Her daughter wore the same sunhat, albeit be too large for her. Her hair was made of tiny golden ringlets, and her eyes were a soft green. She wore a white dress with ruffling at the bottom, which rustled as she moved.

 _She's so cute,_ I gasped internally. I had to get her to adopt Curly. I mean, she could be evil, but I somehow suspected the angelic evil child cliché somehow occurred less in real life than in fiction.

 _Where do I get this information from? You know what, I don't care._

I crept forward, pulling Curly along with me, we made our way quietly to an opening in the tall grass, in the path ahead of the pair. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Curly and looked him in the eye.

"Remember, as cute as possible. Don't even stand normally, roll, sit whatever. Steal her heart. And go." I pushed the Bidoof out of the tall grass into the path of the frolicking girl.

"Gya! Momma! It's a 'mon!" she cried in surprise. Curly had rolled with my push landing face down across the path.

Her mother sighed. "Come on now."

She stepped forward, in front of the inquisitive child, and gestured at Curly.

"Shoo. Off you pop." I held my breath. This was the important part. He couldn't leave but if she decided that he was a threat…

Curly looked at the woman; then curled into a ball and fell asleep.

"Wha-?"

"Momma, is it okay!?" Cried the little girl in excitement.

"I'm sure its fine, darling. Come on now. Just walk around it."

"Hmmmm," huffed the little girl. Her mother already stepping around the prone pokemon, she began to follow at a trot. However, just before she walked away, she hesitated. And turned and gave Curly a pat.

"Soft!" she gasped.

"Darla!" her mother snapped. "That's dangerous!"

Curly began to stir from his pretend slumber, raising his face towards the little girl, who still had her hand stuck in his fur. The two engaged in a staring contest, while the mother began to jog back along the path. Removing her hand, Darla slowly raised it, before bringing it down on top of the fluffy pokemon's head. Curly made a quiet sound, but remained still.

"Cute…" Darla sighed.

"Come now." Her mother grabbed Darla by the shoulder.

"Wait!" Darla cried. "It so cute and fluffy and it let me pat it and it's got really sad eyes and it's really nice and please can we keep it?!"

" _Keep_ it?" her mother was shocked. "It's a Bidoof! Honey, are you sure you don't want a Buneary or something? They're quite fluffy too; and much cuter than a…a _Bidoof."_

The golden-haired girl shook her head solemnly. "You said that we were going to adopt a pokemon soon and that I could pick it. And I. Want. This. One."

Looking for a way out, the woman sent a soothing smile. "How about a deal, Darla, dear? If the Bidoof is still here, and you still want it when we come back, we can take him home, okay?"

Darla puffed he cheeks, but, after a moment, relented. "Okay." Reluctantly letting go, she grabbed her mother's hand and followed her out, turning her head back and gazing at Curly with sad eyes.

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. A little spoiled, maybe. But still pretty nice.

"Part 1 complete." I muttered.


End file.
